Mamma Mia

Rating: out of
Released: 2008
Directed by: Phyllida Lloyd
Cast: Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters


What Is It About?

Based on the popular Broadway musical set to the music of ABBA, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is getting married on an island in Greece. Raised by a single mom (Meryl Streep), with no idea who her father is, she decides to invite all the possible father candidates to the wedding (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard).

Who Made It?

Director Phyllida Lloyd and writer Catherine Johnson wrote and directed the play.

Is It Any Good?

I should admit upfront that I love musicals. I also like the music of ABBA.

For the first ten minutes of the film, as Amanda Seyfried sings "Honey, Honey" and the fathers arrive in Greece, I was really enjoying the film. I thought "Hey, this could turn out to be better than THE DARK KNIGHT."

But then Meryl Streep's two friends arrive, Christine Baranski and Julie Walters. Sadly, the film is just about ruined by the two, with Walters giving one of the most irritating performances you are likely to see on screens this year (and I say that as someone who loved her in EDUCATING RITA).

To give you an example of just how irritating the three of them are, imagine watching a marathon of ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS (a show I like, but you know how over the top the humor is). Now imagine watching it on seven TVs simultaneously. At full volume. With full surround sound going. It is that distracting.

It really isn't the performer's fault (Baranski is surprisingly restrained since she is known for being over the top). While I never saw the full play, the clips that I have seen of the Broadway version, especially the "Dancing Queen" number, Walters role was always this obnoxious. So, she is getting some really bad direction here, just like the Broadway performers got.

Not only that, but the choreography is overly aggressive at times. Less is more, no matter if it is Broadway.

The look of the film is also off. Greece is one of the most photogenic places on film. SUMMER LOVERS and BIG BLUE used the locations so beautifully that you didn't even mind how bad the films were.

Here, it is supposed to be set on the islands, yet is at times clearly on soundstages with poorly done blue screens and harsh lighting.

There is one line of dialogue that threw the entire storyline into question.

Meryl Streep at one point says that her parents told her that when they found out she was pregnant, her parents didn't want her to come home, which is why she stayed in Greece.

Let's do the math, shall we? Meryl Streep will be 60 next year. Seyfried's character is said to be 20. That means she was in her late 30's when she got pregnant. In 1987.

Umm, would parents, in the late 1980's be that upset over their late 30 something children getting pregnant without getting married?

Maybe if Streep's character was 40 in the film, meaning she got pregnant in her 20's, that might be different. I don't know if you should blame the writer or whoever cast the film or what. Maybe they should have cast Lauren Graham and the film would work better.

There are musical numbers that work. Seyfried and her potential fathers are all good. The rest of the cast however is an acquired taste.

If you were a fan of the play, you might enjoy it a lot more.

Reviewed by: Jim Magovern

Jul 20,2008